Ousmane Dembele was a rare bright spot but Samuel Umtiti was sub-par as Barcelona were handed a 2-0 loss by Sevilla in the Copa del Rey semi-final first leg.
Barcelona saw a lot of the ball all through the game, but did not really utilise it well over the course of the 90 minutes. In fact, apart from Lionel Messi, no one came close to finding the back of the net on Wednesday. On the opposite end, Sevilla did not conjure up many scoring opportunities, but were clinical with their output.
The opener came midway through the first half, when Jules Kounde won the ball from Antoine Griezmann before dancing past Sergio Busquets and Samuel Umtiti to score a shock goal. Marc-Andre ter Stegen was then at hand to deny Sergio Escudero with a big save.
The Barcelona no. 1, though, could not do anything about Ivan Rakitic’s strike, with the former Barcelona midfielder doubling Sevilla’s advantage. Barcelona now have an uphill task in front of them if they are to book their place in the Copa del Rey final. The Hard Tackle now runs the rule over Ronald Koeman’s men.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen: 6/10
There was not much that ter Stegen could have done to deny Jules Kounde or Ivan Rakitic, with both the finishes being top class. However, if not for the German goalkeeper, Barcelona would be staring at a Himalayan task, as he superbly denied Sergio Escudero in the first half.
Junior Firpo: 5/10
Deployed in an unfamiliar right-back spot, Junior Firpo looked like a fish out of water. The young defender never really looked comfortable and was constantly unsure of his positioning. On one such occasion, he was caught out of position when former Barcelona midfielder Rakitic scored the second goal of the game for Sevilla.
Oscar Mingueza: 6/10
The only Barcelona defender who managed to give a good account of himself. Mingueza looked so much more at home at the heart of the defence and built play up from the back confidently, completing 69 of the 72 passes he attempted. Alas, he was not supported ably by his partners at the back.
Samuel Umtiti: 4/10
By far the worst performer on the pitch. Umtiti was left to eat a humble pie when Kounde scored his goal, as he went to ground too early and easily, thereby allowing his compatriot the time and space to maneuver his way past him and hand Sevilla the lead. Also partly culpable for the goal that Rakitic scored. Did win 7 duels but that was as good as it got for him.
Umtiti is always on form… he's either stopping goals or causing them. pic.twitter.com/ExNDCUIUpz
— Barça Worldwide (@BarcaWorldwide) February 10, 2021
Jordi Alba: 5/10
One of those games wherein Alba did not really click. There were some promising moments when he was linking up with Antoine Griezmann and Lionel Messi, but those only came few and far between. One thing he did do well was being precise with the ball at his feet, while his battle with Suso did not yield one winner.
Frenkie de Jong: 6/10
The Barcelona midfield was well off its best on Wednesday and de Jong was no different. While the Dutchman constantly tried to make things happen, he could not successfully carve out the openings as Sevilla sat back in a determined manner.
Sergio Busquets: 5/10
After a run of performances that saw him provide a solid base for Barcelona to flourish higher up the pitch, this was a game wherein Busquets was overrun quite a few times. Saw Kounde dance past him in the lead-up to the opening Sevilla goal. A tad bit wasteful on the ball as well.
Pedri: 6/10
A night to forget for Pedri, who endured a difficult outing as he was not afforded the time and space to express himself. The youngster did play 1 key pass, but for the most part, he flitted in and out of the game. Just one of those days.
Ousmane Dembele: 7/10
By far the brightest spark for Barcelona on the night. Dembele carried a great deal of threat whenever he saw the ball and played a game-high 3 key passes. Unfortunately, none of his creative passes was met by a teammate, but he never stopped trying. A rare positive to take out of a forgettable game for Barcelona.
Lionel Messi: 7/10
Lionel Messi took 7 shots against Sevilla. pic.twitter.com/KX3RYHwSli
— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) February 10, 2021
Quite a frustrating night for Messi, who was well off his best for the most part in this game but was still Barcelona’s best prospect at scoring a goal. That in itself says how hapless Barcelona were on Wednesday against Sevilla. The Argentine aimed 7 shots at goal on the night and was brilliantly denied by Bono on a couple of occasions. A rare blip in the creative aspect.
Antoine Griezmann: 5/10
A game to forget for Griezmann, who lost the ball before Kounde scored the opening goal for Sevilla. On the opposite end, the Frenchman did not make any sort of impact apart from the early dangerous ball that he played to Messi. Back to the drawing board.
SUBSTITUTES
Riqui Puig: N/A
On for Pedri, Puig did not have enough time to make an impact.
Francisco Trincao: N/A
A late introduction, Trincao barely had time to even get a touch on the ball let alone influence the proceedings.
